Sermon Podcast: http://redemption-clc.podomatic.com/entry/2015-09-01T09_05_08-07_00
Theme: Set the
Example for Christian Education
1) Prioritize,
Connect, and Use God’s Word
2) Focus on
the Gospel in both Failure and Success
Deuteronomy 11:18-20 “Imprint these words of mine on
your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a
symbol on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them
when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down
and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your
gates.”
John Wooden is
perhaps the most successful basketball coach ever. During his time at the
University of California in Los Angeles, Wooden’s teams set numerous records.
In one stretch they won 88 consecutive games. Over the course of his career he
totaled 4 undefeated seasons and 10 national championships. The next closest
collegiate coach has 5 national championships. Wooden went on to write several
famous books as well on the topics of coaching and leadership. There’s no doubt
that he led a very full life and had a great career, the likes of which may
never be seen again.
But when
Wooden was asked what the key to his success was, his answer was very simple.
He quoted a short poem which reads: "No
written word, no spoken plea can teach our youth what they should be. Nor all
the books on all the shelves, it’s what the teachers are themselves."
This tiny poem encapsulated Wooden’s philosophy and the reason he gave as to
why he was so successful in leading and training young men. In short, he strove
to lead and teach by example.
The words of
Wooden’s poem fit well with our thoughts for today, as we focus on leading our
youth in the Word of the Lord. God gives us everything we need to be successful
in His Word. Our children can readily pick up on that and learn what God
reveals in the Bible. The same was true for all of Wooden’s players. They knew
and understood the game of basketball well. The rules were clear, no one was in
doubt as to how to win the game. But they needed leadership and direction. They
needed someone to bring them all together and help guide them to their goal. The
same is true of your children. They need Godly leaders who will help build and
strengthen their faith. The best thing you can do when it comes to leading them
is to set the example.
This theme is
presented immediately as our text begins. As the LORD prescribed His charge to
the leaders and parents in Israel, He began by having them look first at their
own hearts. Imprint these words of mine
on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and
let them be a symbol on your foreheads. Only after you have first
taken care of your own heart can you extend God’s truth to others by teaching.
This includes your children. You will not be equipped to help them if you have
not first reinforced your own faith through studying and learning from God’s
Word. There’s a simple progression to this in verse 28. First, you imprint God’s Word in your heart and
mind. The idea of “imprinting” carries the thought of prioritizing. When you
imprint something, you order it as the most important thing in your life.
Whatever you imprint in your heart and mind becomes the standard by which you
measure all other things. As parents and leaders, you must imprint God’s Word
on your heart and mind. It must be the first in order of all things in your
life.
The second
thought is that you “bind the Word as a
sign on your hands.” This is where we see the thought of leading by
example. Once your heart and mind are in the right place, your actions will
follow, and others, especially your children, will see this. The word “bind”
carries the thought of connection. When you bind something to something else,
they are connected and are looked at as one. This is to be your relationship
with God’s Word. You are to be so connected to it that it flows through your
heart, mind, and hands seamlessly.
The final thought
of the verse centers on moving forward and using these gifts. The Holy Spirit
uses the unique illustration of letting the Word be on your forehead. It’s
often said that your eyes are the windows to your soul. This is essentially
what the Spirit is trying to tell us here. What you focus on with your eyes has
a major role in determining where you go and what you follow in life. If your
eyes are turning toward sinful things, you will follow a sinful path. The
command from God is that you use His Word to guide your way. Place it
figuratively on your forehead, so that your eyes focus on it at all times.
Whenever you look at something, see it and understand it through the lense of
God’s Word.
The
responsibility that you have as a mature Christian is simple and clear. Prioritize,
Connect, and Use. God’s Word must be the first in order in your life. You must
bind that Word to your life, and you must be directed by that Word wherever you
go and in whatever you do. This is God’s command for you in your personal faith
life but also as you share that faith with others. Only after these three steps
are in order are you ready and prepared to teach that same Word to others.
Of all the
people that we strive to teach God’s Word to, there is one group in particular
that the Spirit singles out – our children. Your task as a parent, leader, and
Christian begins with your children. But this isn’t solely a command for
parents. The concept of children contains the broader thought of a “generation.”
Even if you’re childless, unmarried, or removed from all relatives you still
have the task of leading the next generation. That’s because all believers are
part of God’s family. Even if you have no connection with any family members
here on earth, you are never alone, and therefore never exempt from your
responsibility of leadership.
This is one of
the areas of Christian education that we often overlook. It is not only the
responsibility of pastors or teachers to instruct. They are merely helpers
along the way. Listen to the Holy Spirit’s description of the role of pastors
and teachers: And He (Jesus) personally
gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and
teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up
the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12). My job is not to be the sole
distributor for Christian education to your children. My job is to equip you
(the saints) for the work of ministry. Christian education begins in the home
and must stay in the home. Anything that pastors and teachers can supplement is
indeed beneficial, but is never meant to take the place of Christian
instruction and training by parents.
And one of the
best things you can do is lead by example. I can help your children understand
the Bible. They can learn doctrines and passages from me and they can study the
Word with me. But they will learn the most from what they see their parents do.
All the head knowledge in the world will mean nothing if they do not see that
knowledge put into practice as well. Hours upon hours of instruction in the
classroom will become useless if that instruction is not reinforced in the home
by the example of God-fearing mothers and fathers and in the congregation by
their fellow members.
If no one
takes the time to show them, they will choose to follow someone else’s example
instead. If you don’t talk to your son or daughter about God’s Word or how that
Word applies to the difficulties they face in life, they will learn from
someone or something else; most likely friends, society, the world, and even
other religions. You need to be the most influential voice in your child’s life
or someone else will. But you also have to show them the way once they hear you.
It does no
good for your son to learn the first commandment, yet see his parents put money
and possessions above God. It will do no good for your daughter to learn the
2nd commandment yet hear her parents curse and swear, through talking, emails,
facebook, or even texting. It will be of no value for your child to learn the
3rd commandment, yet see mom and dad, and fellow Christians put the busyness of
life above being present in church each Sunday. It will mean nothing if your
child learns to love his neighbor as himself, yet sees mom and dad hold on to
anger and grudges, or get impatient with a stranger. We could go on and on, down
the list of God’s teachings. The task before you as a parent is not easy, that’s
why God takes the time to remind you in His Word. But it’s an abundantly
important task, and He stands by you ready to help and assist you through His
Word, and predominantly through the Gospel of forgiveness.
We celebrate
Christian education as our school begins a new academic year tomorrow and
that’s fitting. Daily devotions, Bible lessons, and catechism instruction will
be part of our regular schedule. Next weekend we will resume Bible Class and
Sunday School. These are all parts of Christian education and we’re very
thankful for them. But the biggest reminder we need is not about these programs
and studies in our congregation. Christian education Sunday is a reminder for
you as parents and leaders of the faith to teach God’s Word each day. It’s a
call to action to prioritize, connect, and use the Gospel blessings whether in
times of success or failure.
The charge
from God comes out even stronger as we continue in our text. In v. 19 we are to
speak of God’s Word to our children in all the changing scenes of life; when we
sit, when we walk, when we lie down, and when we rise. Another illustration is
used in v. 20, we are to write the Word on our doorposts and on our gates. To
this day many Jews take these commands literally. They bind tiny copies of the
words in our text to their foreheads. They also literally write them on their
doorposts. There’s nothing wrong with doing these things, but they shouldn’t
detract from deeper meaning of these words, as they have with many who practice
them. God’s main point is not that we literally bind these words on our bodies
and homes and all will be well. God’s point is that these locations, our
foreheads, our hearts, our doorposts, and our gates represent the priorities in
our lives.
For many of
the Jews who practice these things literally, their faith becomes a matter of
outward expressions only. The substance of their faith becomes rote
memorization and rigid practice instead of a vibrant expression through
actions. They start to look at themselves to fulfill God’s requirements instead
of Jesus. They forget that these commands are intended to serve, not to
sanctify. Because no one can ignore the sole conclusion we all reach when we
read and study these words. At the end of it all we see what God commands us to
do and we know that it is correct, but we fail. Time after time we are faced
with our inability to follow what God wants us to do as leaders. If we are
honest about our lives, we must admit that we have fallen short of these
requirements, and all others that Gods gives as well.
Therefore we
need something more. Keeping a tiny scroll between our eyes or etching the
letters in our doorposts won’t help us out. These things only remind us of our
unworthiness. Sending your kid to confirmation class or Christian day school
only gets them so far. Being an upstanding citizen and a great friend does not
cover the problem of sin. In order to be the best example we need God’s help.
In order to truly reach His standard of righteousness something more is needed,
or more appropriately, someone is needed. And that someone is Jesus. The
underlying theme of Christian education is not that we focus only on the Words
of God’s Law and our ability to keep some of them but not all of them. It’s
that we focus on all of God’s Word.
Understanding His commands for us as parents and leaders is only part of the
revelation. We must also believe that Christ is our Savior, the only One who
truly makes us complete before the Father.
Paul tells us
in Ephesians what Christ has done for us: if
indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in
Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which
grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit
of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to
God, in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:21-24). Faith in
Christ is not just saying something in word only. Faith changes your life. And
notice how that blessing comes to your life. Paul says that you were “taught by Jesus Himself.” Jesus gives
all believers the right and responsibility to teach others because He has
taught them. We proclaim not only the commands and requirements of God but also
the fulfillment of them through Jesus. And the result is that our once
worthless lives are now changed, literally “re-created” and the new man reigns
within us. Through that new man of faith in Christ, we are led to follow God’s
commands to His glory and praise. That’s where we want to lead our kids in
Christian education!
Leaning on your
status as Christian or your membership in church for assurance of Christian
education is the same thinking that got the Jews off track. Looking only to
pastors and teachers to instruct your children is the same. You must lead by
example, but your lead must direct them to Christ, not yourself, and not more
ways that they must keep God’s commands.
Christ has
died for our sins. Through faith created by the Holy Spirit and built on this
Gospel promise, our lives are changed. Part of that change is that we now have
the call to be ministers of our own, agents of Christian education for the next
generation. Through the newly created faith within us we are able to minister
by our actions, or as we have been saying, we can lead by example. But the
other part of that change is that we don’t have to keep the Law in order to
have God. We have a Savior who has done it for us.
John Wooden’s
poem rings true. We can have the best of teachers, and we certainly do in Jesus
Christ. We can have the best of textbooks, and we certainly do in the Bible.
But those things, as great and powerful as they are, can be marred and clouded
by our sinful actions. Christian education is more than just something said or
promised. It’s more than words memorized or doctrines taught. It’s more than
Sunday school or K-8 in grace school. Christian Education is a matter of faith
in Jesus Christ and the promise of an eternal life without sin with Him. Lead
your children there through your example, and they will see and follow. Amen.
The peace of
God which surpasses all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment